After the Seventh Book of Harry Potter
by Xenic
Summary: OK, my first attempt at a Romance type story let me know. if people ask me to write another chapter i will.


This story is set after the seventh book (yes I know it isn't going to be out for a little while, but it includes my thoughts about what will happen in the sixth and seventh books, we'll see how accurate they end up).  
  
Disclaimer: **Has two words made, ten foot high, in neon colours. FAN FICTION** need I say more? Or is this 'subtle' hint enough?  
  
Hermione stood, looking out the window, with her back to Harry; she was waffling on, trying to fill the silence, filling Harry in on what had been happening the past six months. "Well we, Ron and I, have a flat of our own, nearby. He's keeper now, reserve team, for a local team. I can never remember what they're called, so don't ask me. I'm dashing around, trying to be in more than two places at once as always. I'm studying hard; I'm hoping to get into the Ministry soon, if I don't though I'll do an extra year and become a teacher. Can you imagine it? Professor Granger." She chuckled to herself. Ginny wished that Hermione would stop, she was getting a headache. 'That's all I need,' Ginny thought, 'how can she talk like that?' she was sitting next to Harry's bed.  
  
Harry had been laid on the bed since they found him after his fight with Voldemort, he didn't move, he was hardly breathing. His face, once smooth and shaven, had become covered in thick black hair, as unruly as that on his head. As to his mysterious affliction, the best healers at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries were stumped. "There's no reason why he's like this." One healer had said.  
  
Hermione stopped talking and looked at Ginny. She looked terrible. Her hair, normally keep under control, was all over the place, and unwashed. Her eyes were bloodshot, when she had them open. She was fighting to stay awake. "Ginny, why don't you try to get some sleep or something? I'll wake you if anything happens, or if I need to go." Ginny looked at Hermione, put her head on her arms at the bottom of Harry's bed, and to all appearances, fell asleep. Hermione shook her head. What she hadn't said, to either Harry or Ginny, was that Ron almost looked as bad as Ginny did. He was hardly sleeping, only exhaustion forced him to bed some days. It wasn't only that Harry, his best friend, was like this, it was also that his family were also affected. His parents were arguing almost everyday, sometime over trivial things. Percy was, although few could see it, physically and emotionally drained. Fred and George were finding it difficult to concentrate on the joke shop, taking it in turns to visit Harry for an hour or so every couple of days. And then there was their relationship, if you could it that at the moment. They hardly saw one another, Quidditch practice, study, visiting Harry. It was too much. Hermione rubbed her eyes, she wasn't sleeping enough ever, though she didn't want to admit it to anybody, especially any of the Weasley's. There was a tiny tap on the door, seconds for it opened. It was Mary, the trolley lady, who had taken pity on Hermione and Ginny, who were just about the only ones who visited this room. Hermione silently went over, decided on several items, paid for them and ate. Ginny stirred slightly, she must be dreaming, Hermione thought. She left some food for Ginny and looked at her watch. 'I need to get some study in before class. Not to mention have a shower.' She thought. 'I don't want to wake Ginny, but I told her I would. She's only had an hour. Which is an hour more than I've had today.' Sighing, she rubbed her eyes again. She shook Ginny slowly awake, "Sorry Gin, but I need to go on before Ron wonders where I am." It was a poor lie, and they both knew it. "It's ok." Ginny said as she yawned deeply. "I feel better now anyway, good for another twenty-four hours." She tried to smile but it fell limp.  
  
After saying goodbye to Hermione, Ginny looked at the food she had been left. A bowl of soup, a cold cup of coffee and various sweets and chocolate. A feast, at least compared to what she normally had. She gulped down the soup, threw back the coffee and ate one or two chocolate frogs. She was full, or so she told herself, but her stomach betrayed her. She wanted something proper to eat, but felt bad because it would mean leaving Harry's side. "Harry," Ginny whispered, afraid that after all this time just talking out loud would wake him up. "There's so much I've wanted to tell you." She was silent until she plucked up the courage to continue. "I don't think I ever thanked you, at least properly, for rescuing me during my first year. Things happened so fast, to both of us, that we didn't speak to each other too much." Another long pause, more courage needed to continue. "I think I've finally realised why you chose not to have a girlfriend, well after Cho anyway. I think I know what you had to go through. You couldn't get too close to people. If you had, if you and Cho, or anyone else got close, they would have been a target for Voldemort." She took a few breaths, trying to control her emotions, "I was trying to make you jealous, going out with different people. I realise now that it was wrong. I was foolish." Tears were flowing from her eyes. "Harry. Forgive me, please." She bent her head and placed it on Harry's hand. "I… I love you Harry." She could barely hear herself say that, yet she swore that Harry's eyes fluttered. "Come back to us Harry, back to me." She kissed his hand, and his hand moved, squeezing her hand slowly, but the hand relaxed before she knew it.   
  
She wiped her eyes, a memory surfaced. Hermione had joked, when Harry had first been brought in, that he was a male sleeping beauty, confusing everybody else in the room. She explained briefly, finally saying that maybe the kiss of his 'true love' might wake him up. Ron had giving an exaggerated sigh of relief, saying that he was glad he wasn't going to be forced to kiss Harry. They had laughed at that, Hermione, Ron, herself, her mother and father. Her father had only just recovered from another injury, caused by the Death Eaters. He was lucky, he had the bones removed down one arm and leg, and had a few hexes thrown at him for good luck. Maybe, just maybe, Hermione was right, or at least was thinking along the right line. 'Hell' Ginny thought, 'We've tried everything else.' But she couldn't. 'Why can't I? Why? I love him, but I can't.' She was frustrated with herself, wrestling with her feelings. She couldn't 'unsay' anything to Harry, but she didn't know if he heard her, or if it was her imagination. She closed her eyes and put her head on her arms, resting them next to Harry's head. 'Just a few more minutes' she thought before sleep caught up with her once again.  
  
The healer, coming to check on Harry, smiled as she saw the young lady asleep beside they young man. She was told not to ask for names, and since Harry's scar was covered, she had no idea who it was she was checking. As she moved around, using a few spells to check the young man's temperature, his pulse, etc, the young lady stirred and woke. "Sorry to wake to dear." She said quietly. Ginny nodded, she hated herself for falling asleep. After the healer left, she whispered softly into Harry's ear, "Forgive me Harry."  
  
Ron woke up, and regretted it instantly. His head was pounding, too much to drink the night before. He was hiding it from Hermione, she had enough on her plate, he thought time and time again. He rubbed his eyes, 'at least I got some sleep last night.' He thought, 'Even if it was drink induced.' He went into the bathroom, looking at his tongue in the mirror. He felt as if someone had laid a carpet on it during the night. Scratching himself, he made his way into the kitchen. He saw Hermione, her head bent over, half-asleep. "Morning Herm." Ron said, cringing slightly as his head pounded. Hermione groaned, she had been half asleep for a while, she was thinking of brewing some dreamless sleep potion, but knew that she'd mess it up from tiredness. "Morning Ron." She had seen Ron cringe, and asked, "Do I really look that bad?" Do you want an answer to that?" Ron said, then shook his head, "Had a bad night, though from the looks of it I've had the most sleep. Why not just buy some potions to help?" 'I've got mine,' he thought, daydreaming about his next alcoholic drink. Hermione shook her head. "Don't think I haven't thought about it, I think I'd rather collapse than have to actually buy it, especially at those prices."  
  
Ron looked at Hermione, and suddenly wide awake, realised that Hermione was hiding something. "What's the matter Herm?" Hermione looked at Ron, and unexpectedly, burst into tears. Ron took Hermione in his arms and let her cry. He rubbed her back, wondering what the problem was. After a while, Hermione sniffed, once, twice, and said, "I can't do it anymore Ron, I can't go to see Harry and pretend that everything's alright." She sniffed again. "I mean, just look at your parents, "Ron bent his head, knowing exactly what Hermione meant, "Look at us Ron. We don't sleep, we barely eat, and we rarely see each other." He sniffed a few times more, before blowing her nose on the first available thing, Ron's t-shirt. Ron took it off, threw it in the corner and held Hermione tightly. 'This is the worst it's been so far.' He thought. But how much further could either of them go? He didn't want to know the answer. "Hermione," Ron said gently, she looked up at him, tears still flowing, "You don't need to be there all the time. I know that Ginny likes the company, but we shouldn't be the only ones to go there. Maybe I should ask my dad if he'd go, you know he'd talk to Harry about things at the Ministry, be glad to get a few things off of his chest." "But…" Hermione tried to talk, but Ron cut her off. "We rarely see each other because if I'm not at Qudditch, and you're not studying, we're sat beside Harry. He wouldn't want that. Practice has been called off today, so why don't we stay in?" Hermione nodded her head, and relaxed into Ron's hold. She put her arms softly around his waist. "Hold me." She whispered.  
  
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A/N believe me when I say that I didn't realise that it'd start off this long… I mean, it's three pages long in Word!! it please R&R, and if you want to beta-read the next chapter, e-mail me: feral_xugh@hotmail.com. Hope you have enjoy reading it!! 


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